Rogers’ $15 Billion Shaw Deal Crawls Toward the Finish Line

A court case over one of Canada’s biggest-ever takeovers is near its end, after weeks of testimony that came to focus on a single question: Is Shaw Communications Inc. a great company or a broken one?

The nation’s antitrust watchdog is fighting to block Shaw’s sale to Rogers Communications Inc., arguing that to consumers, Shaw is an irreplaceable force for good — a “disruptive” and “maverick” firm that has helped drive down prices in a country known for expensive cell-phone bills.

Brad Shaw, CEO of Shaw Communications Inc. Company executives argued in court that the sale to Rogers Communications Inc. was the best option because the firm is struggling to compete and hasn’t made a return on multibillion-dollar wireless investments.

Photographer: David Kawai/Bloomberg

Shaw executives, one after another, testified that their company was, in fact, about to hit a ...